Monthly Archives: November 2008

COOL CONTEST FOR SNEAKY SHOPPERS!!!

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If you’ve been reading this week you know that I have been all about saving money while still enjoying what we like to do.  TODAY we are not going to talk about how to save money or the evils or overspending. Instead we are going to talk more about holiday shopping! We are going to talk about being rewarded for what you already bought!

There is this crazy contest going on at ebillme.com and they want to hear your secret shopping confessions.  Whether you committed secret online shopping, or got your item at the mall and hid it, ebillme.com wants to know about it.  You submit your shopping confession via video or written story.

Why would you keep your purchase a secret?

Maybe it’s a surprise for a loved one! Maybe you don’t want anyone to know that you need a $100 full body girdle to fit into your clothes at the moment.  Maybe your purchase is a little over budget and you are waiting for the right time to tell your Hubby.  There are no rules as to why you did it.  Just submit your story including what you bought, why you kept it on the down low, and how it all turned out.

Why should you submit your story?

Besides easing your guilty conscience you could win cash!  Ebillme.com is awarding $1500 per month for the best shopping confession and a grand prize of $15,000!!!!  MamaMia!  Check out the website for complete details, as well samples of other submissions, tips for successful stories, AND a message from last year’s grand prize winner.

WAIT!  There’s more!

This is actually a contest WITHIN a contest.  If you decide to sign up PUHLEEEEASE take my URL with you! (copy & paste my link from your browser to avoid mistakes) The blogger (in this case me) whose blog (Her Family Blog) generates the most contest entrants (that’s you!) wins a cash prize too! (that’s $500 for first place, $300 for second place, and $200 for third.)

So zip over there, check it out, and sign up to win us some holiday cash!!!  Good luck to us all! And don’t forget to share your shopping confessions with us after you enter!

Holiday Gifts on a Budget

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Being on a tighter budget for the holidays this year doesn’t have to mean canceling Secret Santas or not participating in the gift exchange.  What it does mean is thinking before you spend.  Shopping for the best prices .  Put some effort into your shopping this year and show your loved ones how much you know about them and love them.

Jewelry is a popular gift item.  It’s inappropriate and irresponsible to overspend, but you don’t want to give something cheap, of course that turns your recipient green or rashy.  But there is an in between area of fun, fashionable jewelry items that please your loved ones without breaking the bank.  The internet is a great resource for wholesale fashion jewelry.  Just make sure you do a little research on the company and make sure the return policy is good in case your purchase doesn’t turn out the be the bargain you expected.

A bonus with jewelry is that there are so many projects around the holidays that support causes such as breast cancer awareness, hunger, and domestic violence.  These gifts are as satisfying to give as they are to receive when you know your item made a difference to someone somewhere.

A well thought out present where more time was spent than money is always the way to go.  Running your plastic through the machine may be easier, but spending time finding the perfectly matched gift for a fraction of what you would normally spend is more fun and apprciated.

What are you favorite types of gifts to give and receive over the holidays?

Family Fitness on a Budget

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Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is challenging enough with our busy schedules and appreciation of comfort food at the end of a hectic day.  Add to that the end of outdoor activity that is quickly approaching those of us in the colder climates.  Sure there is skiing and sledding for fun and sport in the winter, but it is not as practical as going for a jog or bike ride in the morning and jumping on the trampoline with the kids.  This is the time of the year when many join gyms or renews their seasonal memberships in an effort to stay fit through the winter.  But what if you don’t have the money for your gym membership this year?  How do we keep our bodies healthy AND our finances?

We exercise at home.

Dust off that equipment you never use in the basement and make some use out of that money you spent.  Treadmills and ellipticals are among the most purchased and neglected products in American households.

If you don’t have at least one home gym staple, look into buying one.  If you find a good deal the payments you make on it will be significantly less than your monthly gym bill and you won’t be committed to a long term payment to guarantee physical activity.

If buying a piece of gym equipment is not in your budget, hope is not lost.  Dig out an old workout DVD. Remember how much fun they were?  And if you don’t have one, you can buy a workout dvd for under $20!  My favorite is Turbo Jam because it is so incredibly fun. And don’t forget, you can check out workout dvds from the library too, whether you want to try some out before you buy, or you plan to check them out for free and never buy one.  There is just no excuse for not getting busy to some exercise dvds.

Lastly, think about gym class.  Remember all the good old fashioned exercises we used to do in school?  Sit ups, crunches, push ups, arm circles, leg lunges, side bends… they all still work!  We just one day decided we were too fancy for them and had to get all complicated with exercise bands, balls, and “routines”.  Just turn on some music and go crazy.  Guess what!  You’re getting a workout!

I predict that, considering America is collectively pinching pennies right now, fitness at home, simplified workouts & back to basics exercise moves are going to be the latest trend.  Let’s all get a jump start right now!

Family Finances: Life Insurance

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Well I am definitely going out of my comfort zone here.  I am a money spender, not a saver.  I am young I plan to live forever and take care of my family. Why spend hundreds of dollars a month on life insurance?

I am turning 40 in December.  That’s not really that young.  I am excited for the “wisdom”, “patience”, and “simplicity” that I have always imagined 40 would bring me, but if I am embracing it, I have to also embrace the fact that I AM aging.

This new decade that is in my horizon, along with this monumental election and tough economy have turned me into a different kind of person.  I opened a new savings account with a credit union this week and hope to one day make a deposit into it. (baby steps!) :-)   I no longer consider “frugal” to be a “f” word.  And this year while Hubby is gone hunting, instead of picking a large project to do do in the house I am cleaning out the basement and getting rid of HALF of the clutter.  I’ll show you pictures.  I am also diving into our family finances.

If something happened to either my Hubby or myself, the other would have a hard time sorting out what bills and assets have been left behind. Neither of us is savvy when it comes to insurance so it is my goal to gather info and have some scenarios in hand when the Great Hunter returns. :-)

How does a person know how to start a big project like that that is so far out of her area of expterise?  She googles, of course!  Then looks up Suze Orman clips on You Tube.  I learned from Suze that life insurance was never intended to be a permanent part of your portfolio!  It was meant for protection when you are young before your retirement and other assets kick in later in life.  But insurance companies will advise you to buy all sorts of things that you don’t need, that waste your money that you could be investing in your retirement. I’m going to attach the short clip that got my attention and gave me some direction. Basically Suze said to avoid hundreds of dollars a month spent on whole life insurance because you will get your best life insurance rates and the best use of your money by buying only term life insurance plans.

As important as all this financial stuff is, I don’t want to leave on such a serious tone.  So in addition to the Suze Orman clip I am going to find a SNL SPOOF of Suze.  Kristen Wii’s recurring Orman character is one of my favorite bits!

To summarize… Simplify. Laugh. Invest.